Arianne had learned a long time ago that change was constant. Like time, it never waited for anyone, not even for her. But knowing that truth and feeling its weight were two different things.
The twins had stopped visiting.
No calls. No messages. No sign of the two children who had once appeared at her door with a proposal and the kind of hope that only children could carry. They had adjusted faster than she expected. The silence she had maintained while she considered their request had become, perhaps, its own answer.
She didn't mean to make the wait too long. But she thought it was better than making a reckless decision.
When the twins proposed, she admitted it caught her off guard. Listening to Lily's reasoning, Arianne considered the future. If she chose to stay in Montclair City, the Rochefort name would surely protect her from unnecessary problems.
But entering a contract marriage with Franz Rochefort would cheapen not only her beliefs but also his boundaries.
